Hera scans Dimorphos

Meet Hera, our very own asteroid detective. Together with two CubeSats – Milani the rock decoder and Juventas the radar visionary – Hera is off on an adventure to explore Didymos, a double asteroid system that is typical of the thousands that pose an impact risk to planet Earth.

When Hera reaches it, the smaller of the two asteroids (Dimorphos) will already have been impacted by NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test, or DART. This cosmic shove is expected to slightly shift Dimorphos' orbit around the larger Didymos asteroid. Hera will examine the crater left by DART, the composition of Dimorphos, map its surface temperature and probe its internal structure similarly to an X-ray.

This still image is from 'Presenting Hera', an episode of ‘The Incredible Adventures of Hera’ that takes you on a fun and informative journey to visit Didymos together with Hera. Watch the video here.